A Different Path
by RFDN
Summary: On Hollow Bastion the Beast falls into the water leaving Sora by himself on the world. To be safe for later it is rated T.
1. Light And Darkness

**Light and Darkness**

"Life and Death… Sleep and Wake. This is all my fault… I wasn't strong enough to stop him…" A man with long silver hair wearing a long black coat with silver fashioning states as he looks at the only other object in the room not of the color white or light grey or even the black lines.

"I'm still not… it doesn't really matter that much anymore though. After everything that happened, everything I aided him in doing… I guess I really don't deserve another chance." He sighs dragging his gloved hands over his face letting memories of happier simpler times… times with her and him.

"I can't hold him back anymore… I don't even know if I want to anymore… I can't do this alone and he's been searching for him. He's been spending the last few years hoping to use him to free him of his relative imprisonment within me here. If he was to succeed we would both be free… I'd have the power to fight him… and help you come back… I could set things right by making a difference out in the world again." Silence deafens the room as the remnants of his power he took so much pride in, the strength he endlessly worked to gain to reach his dreams, the fruits of his labor now in the hands of the monster that destroyed so much for the singular purpose of curiosity. He slams his right fist on the white thrown like chair as memories of his loss flood through his mind.

"I was such a fool for believing his lies…for thinking I could keep the two eternal twins in balance and not be changed, to not lose anything." Tear drops stream down his cheeks as phantoms flash before his eyes. He feels himself slowly begins to fade away as he looks back at the only other thing in the room. "I guess my time for this visit is coming to its end…"

The man speaks not another word as his eyes close. A smile appears on his face for a moment as he stands. "In the end even light can become darkness. Thank you, Master Aqua… without your help it might have been more of a challenge to suppress your friends pathetic heart." The man turns to walk out heading back to his latest project leaving the room empty of anything besides the thrown like chair he sat on, a pile of blue and black armor, and the foolish girl's keyblade. He had much to do and learn.

"Light and Darkness are eternal… Nothing lies between them." He had though that meant something entirely different but it just showed that not even he knew everything… yet.

* * *

><p><em>Ok Well I had a hard time writing the second chapter for this story and left it alone only to later look at dream drop and decided that with the previous errors I had and the additions of dream drop... well some of my initial ideas were dead. So I revamped this chapter and the next. Don't worry about the chapter after as I'm currently in the zone and working with someone on it.<em>


	2. Alone

**Alone**

A teen with brown spiky hair was staring out of a window on the gummi ship Highwind. It was dark outside of the ship, almost appearing to be just a void of endless darkness but specks of light throughout the darkness were proof that it was not.

The teen wearing a red jumpsuit like piece, a white and black short sleeved button up shirt (currently opened), and large yellow shoes just pondered the recent changes in his life. Although he was quite literally staring into space or something like it… possibly a corridor like path between worlds… places… he was not paying it any real attention… he had just decided to accept that he would likely never learn the answer to what it is a few weeks ago.

Three days ago he had seen both of his friends. Riku and Kairi were both safe for now, that was the most important fact to him. Even though Riku seemed different, Kairi… well everyone else thought he didn't notice their thoughts on the matter, they believed that she was gone just an empty shell of some sort… a lifeless puppet. Riku had said less than a week ago, but…

"She was on the ship with us Riku… I know she was… I…" The teen whispers thinking about the latest of those moments when he saw, spoke with, and even at times sworn he had felt Kairi was in the room with him. Reminding him of the fun times, scolding him when he did something stupid and just being his light during the darker times… times when he nearly gave up trying to find them… when the weight of the Keyblade seemed to great. Everyone was counting on him… Kairi, Riku, his new friends, and even complete strangers he had never met. They were all counting on the Keyblade Master, its wielder, to stop the heartless that were choking the life out of the worlds.

He had to find and close the Worlds Keyholes… their connections to each other and the darkness. At least that is what he thought it was. He still didn't understand it completely… He had already sealed off eight of them but it seemed that legends of previous keyblade masters, or were they just wielders, had surfaced in a couple of the worlds. It just didn't make sense though as the stories had depicted both great tragedies and miracles… things he couldn't even imagine being able to do with what abilities he used through the Keyblade.

In Atlantica King Trident seemed to have seen both firsthand, he had acted like Sora himself could have replicated those feats himself, like he had that enormous power. When the aged merman had asked him to close the keyhole he spoke as if he had witnessed it once before… like that this wasn't the first time it had been sealed in his life time. Did that mean that all of his effort was just to delay the inevitable? Maybe his actions were causing another problem? Maybe the Keyblade was just a tool of chaos and discord… _"You're such an idiot Sora. It's just like those comics you would read."_

"No It's different…Kairi?" The teen looks over his shoulder half expecting to see her red hair only to be met with empty bunk beds of the resting quarters. "It can't just be that simple… the Keyblade holds all of the power." He murmurs before heading towards the door into the semi hall. He looks around seeing the five doors ways leading to the kitchen, bathroom, training room, and cockpit. The edge of the doorway to the resting area he was standing in was visible in the corner of his eyes.

"Sora!" Donald's squeaky like voice comes from the doorway leading to the cockpit. "We're going to be landing soon so get some food." Sora sighs momentarily thinking about the next world they would be reaching… would Riku and Kairi be there… would he be able to handle everything there that the heartless would throw at him? Would he meet anyone new… what would it be like on the world? All those thoughts and more were swarming through his head as a combination of nerves and excitement rush through him.

"Yeah… sure thing Donald" His excitement at the possibility of reuniting with his friends again shows it's self as he begins to head towards the kitchen. He was going to eat now and do his best to not worry about the little things if only for a while. He really didn't want to resort to eating any of the ration bars they were going to take with them, those just tasted horrible.

* * *

><p>Maleficent smiled as the heartless informed her of two presences arriving at this world. One would become a strong heartless that was for sure. The other was the key to unlocking the final door; well what he was bringing would. All the pieces were falling into place now she had all seven princesses, the Keyblade would soon be at her disposal in the hands of the boy she knew would unlock the ultimate power… the darkness. Soon all would bow before her.<p>

"Riku it seems we have a visitor." She informs him with no hint at her glee shown.

"Hn… I'll take care of them." He turns his back to her as he exits the room at the top of the castle. "Soon Kairi I'll be able to save you." He murmurs as he passes her still form. He never sees the smile form on Maleficent's lip as a shadowlike aurora of darkness covers him during that moment.

* * *

><p>It had been an hour since Donald had informed Sora of their soon to be landing. Personally Sora had thought that it would take another half hour to find a safe place to land the gummi ship, mainly because that was the common time needed on their initial landing. But caution and hiding the ship was no longer necessary, the city below was destroyed and deserted. The only place that even seemed to hold any form of life was the castle they were nearing. For some reason though he was both sad and relieved at the sight, it might be in ruins but the darkness hadn't consumed it entirely.<p>

A jarring sensations passes through the entire ship as it comes to a halt on the ground hidden from the view of the castle. It wouldn't do for a powerful heartless or even just a large group of weaker ones to find the ship and possibly strand them here. They had nearly learned that lesson a little too late on Tarzan's world from the apes.

Sora quickly checks his pockets confirming that he has the five ration bars, four potions, two eithers, and the one elixir they each brought just in case they were being worn down to the point of utter exhaustion and still needed to fight. He quickly heads to the trapdoor seeing the tip of Goofy's hat disappear into the hole. He waits only a few seconds before beginning his own decent.

The castle is in the distance and a stairway built into the wall leads to a platform likely to run to the castle… it would most likely be a rather long walk but…

"Gwarsh you know it too bad we can't use that spell everywhere" Sora smiles hearing this as it is the beginning of one of those near perfect repetitions that define his allies. The start of a new journey into a new world, this would be the seventh time he heard it.

"Creating these safe zones takes more out of me than most of my other spells…" Donald begins with his explanation on his concentration in his magical education, support spells. Sora had been told that detail once Donald had pounded the basics of combat magic into his skull. Fire, Ice, Lightening, Wind, and Healing were the only spells he had studied in any depth for combat and he had only gone so far with those studies. He had been taught many spells though to make the castle he came from a safer and more manageable place. The barrier he was currently placing around the gummi ship was a semi space distortion designed to keep people from both finding the ship and allow small pockets within a certain range access to the ship for quick getaways. Luckily they hadn't needed them for that… well actually they commonly weren't available when they would have needed them for that. But it allowed them to pick up some supplies on some of the longer journeys on different world. Those small pockets really were lifesavers though as even if they didn't access the ship the spots were heartless free.

'To bad their only temporary, I would love to show Riku and Kairi some of those sights.' Sora thinks as he begins to head up the stairs with Goofy and Donald just behind him. The small lecture was still going on.

Once Sora reached the top of the stairs a new unbelievable site came into his focus. A valley filled with small step stones floating in the air, landmasses and water filled his sight. It seemingly defied all laws of physics he had learned in school. Movement caught his eye as he stood a moment longer on the ledge nearly thirty feet above the first visible landmass in site. On one of the floating landmasses two figures stood seemingly ready for combat. One was yellow and blue… 'could it be…'

"Hey what's the big ide…" Donald begins slightly knocking Sora off balance. A much harder bump comes not a moment later as Goofy walks directly into the two pushing all three of them over the edge.

Grunts are heard as the trio lands on the solid… water? "Oh…let's not do that again." Donald grunts to Sora's left.

"Gwarsh that hurt!" Goofy exclaims from Sora's right.

A slight pain course through Sora's left leg numbing his mind temporarily until a growl in the distance reminds him… "Riku…" He whispers his hope… he was fighting something though probably a heartless. "Guy's there's someone further up." He rushes to his feet before starting in a slower than normal jog.

The trio set off on their new adventure.

* * *

><p>"Too easy…" A teen with shoulder length silver hair states as his latest opponent falls backwards off of the platform in the sky they battled on, to the water so far below.<p>

The creature, a monstrosity chasing after one of the captured princesses, was a pathetic opponent… well at least in comparison to many of the others he had faced. It had raw power aplenty and sharp deadly claws but its weaknesses were obvious. A powerful hit in the right spot and it fell like all the other enemies he had faced.

He turned to head back to the castle when the familiar sound of shoe's hitting asphalt reach his ear. 'Could it be?'

"Stop" he hears the familiar voice of his now ex-closest friend. He smirks knowing the final conclusion of this exchange… Sora will be put in his place and he will have the power to save Kairi.

"So you finally made it." He turns facing the spiky haired brunette flanked by the new "friends" the boy had made. The image before him sickened him as it was just further proof that Sora had abandoned him and Kairi. "About time; I've been waiting for you." He see's Sora tense slightly with confusion and maybe even fear in his eyes and sketched onto his face.

'He doesn't even have a clue about how easy he is to read' the silver haired boy thinks as he begins his piece. "We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've always pushed you." His hand is extended before him as the memories encircle him mind. He squeezes his fists closed as he banishes those now tainted memories.

"Riku" He hears Sora begin. 'You have no right to interrupt me you traitor' He thinks before cutting Sora off.

"But it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade Masters." He lets his anger and pain flood through his words and actions sweeping his extended hand to his side. 'It's time to show you just how insignificant you are.' He thinks ready to call forth the weapon his weak friend doesn't deserve to wield.

"What are you talking about?" Sora questions with doubt and fear evident in his voice. 'He doesn't know? He just assumed the power was his to control, to play with, to command. He has held the power to save Kairi this entire time but he didn't even think to use it!'

"Let the Keyblade choose IT TRUE MASTER!" he yells filled with anger, hope, sorrow, resolve, betrayal, and excitement. His hand is once again extended as he lets the power he accumulated since he left the island flow through him… calling to the one chance he has at saving his friend.

He sees the blade form in his rivals hand and despair begins to consume him. Then the blade fully formed begins to vibrate and move on its own accord rebelling against its owner until it fades away. A jolt of energy rushes through his system and then a light pulses in his hand… the keyblade… the one item he needed to save Kairi was his now.

"Huh" "What" the two voices of Sora's traveling companions barely register to him as he gazes upon the blade in his hand… admiring it, testing it.

"Maleficent was right." He thinks aloud noticing the difference in the grip of his new weapon in comparison to his old. Glee fills him as he looks upon his prize. "You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me. Only the master of the Keyblade can open the secret door and change the world." He states as he glances upon the pathetic form of his rival… defenseless… powerless… defeated… such a disappointment. Sora was just a waste of space.

"But that's impossible… How did this happen?" He hears Sora ask aloud in confusion. "I'm the one who fought his way here with the Keyblade!" Riku smiles as he hears Sora's anger flare… now he would begin to understand his place.

"You were just the delivery boy." He states evenly giving his blade a practice swing before finally recalling it into nothingness. It was time… time to put Sora behind him… to let go of his ex-friend… to break the bond between them for good. This was the moment he had resigned himself to three days before when they met on hooks ship. The moment he had been looking forward to since he had laid his sight of the vessel carrying his ex-friend… he had kept it this entire time.

He was going to return the wooden sword Sora had made him… the one he had traded for with one he made in return. The representation of his friendship with Sora… their bond as rivals… their friendship forged before he even entered kindergarten. They had been neighbors, best friends, rivals, brothers… but that was over now.

"Sorry your parts over now." He thinks aloud as memories flood him while grabbing the toy he had saved and treasured for so long.

He looks upon the boy he outgrew… the weight of burden he had carried for years now… his once closest friend and confident in most things… his rival for her heart. Anger and rage flare at those thoughts. "Here go play hero with this." He throws the "blade" to the ground in front of Sora watching as the weakling collapses with pain, sorrow, betrayal, and sadness visible on his face.

He turns around leaving the sorry site that was once his friend as he walks towards the castle housing Kairi and his destiny.

He doesn't look back.

* * *

><p>"Here go play hero with this." His fr… no brother commanded without actually looking at him. He didn't understand… how he could just discard their friendship like it was nothing but a piece of trash. He didn't want to believe it but he could see the engraving… the insignia he himself edged into the wooden sword.<p>

It had been the first thing he had ever worked on by himself… his first piece of work for one of his hobbies. Hell if what happened at his home town/world hadn't he would possibly be in his first woodshop class right now. Well that is unless they were still on their raft or somewhere else entirely.

It was just too much… his left leg was still sore wanting to just collapse under his weight. He did just that as he no longer had a reason to be here. He couldn't save Kairi…. Riku was no longer his friend. He didn't have the keyblade to help him fight… he was powerless now.

"Goofy. Let's go. We have to remember our mission." He heard Donald state with a slight quiver in his voice… the duck was conflicted.

"Oh! Well, I know the king told us to follow the key and all… But…" He could feel the weight of their stares on his back. He didn't need to look to know they held pity in their eyes… he was just a weak powerless boy now.

He knew their problem lied in the fact that he was their friend now, not just some kid that they had been tasked too follow by their king. He could tell just by their remaining presence that they were contemplating disobeying their king… their long time friend and ally.

He wouldn't let anymore of his friends suffer… plus they could still help where he no longer could. They could keep them safe… protect them… help save her. He never looked up as he began. "Guy's follow your orders…" He wouldn't allow them to be branded as traitors to their world… they had friends, families and promises back there. He only had one thing left now…

"…But if you happen to run into Kairi could you do me a favor and make sure she's safe." His home was consumed in darkness, Riku abandoned him, she was all that was left for him… she was his closest friend. He might have formed bonds with people on the other worlds but they all knew that they would likely never see each other again.

Donald just begins to walk away after listening to Sora's request; "Sora, Sorry." He hears Goofy's footsteps only a second later.

They had continued to follow the Key.

* * *

><p>He heard the loud steps of Sora's new friends following him as he made his way back to Maleficent. They truly were a pathetic bunch… it really was no surprise that they had followed Sora they were just as weak as he was. They just seemingly mindlessly followed the Keyblade hoping that its power would solve their problems. The three had to group together to survive as they had traveled across the worlds… he was much stronger though, he had fought alone this entire time beating the heartless that attacked him by himself. They had never been hard to defeat. Most had only taken one well placed strike with his old weapon. Only the large one he had fought with Sora had taken more than three since he first learned of the creatures.<p>

He felt the dark power that the heartless used to travel surround him. It seemed it was time to test out his new weapon. He takes a quick stance preparing to rush his weak opponent like he had nearly a thousand times with his normal weapon.

'Now' He thinks seeing the hole in the creatures guard. He rushes in hitting the weak point of the particular heartless dead on with equal force to the last hundred times he defeated incarnations of this pitiful enemy in one strike… the shielded enemy didn't disappear though.

No it just became enraged and struck back smashing it's shield into the teen's completely off guard form. His off arm thankfully took the majority of the blow.

"Thunder" he hears the squeaky voice of the duck yell out before a bolt of energy descends upon his would be defeater. The dog like imbecile's shield flies through the air connecting with the heartless slicing into the creature until its form destabilizes and fades away. The shield arcs back like a boomerang returning to its owner.

"Gawrsh are you alright?" He hears from behind him as heavier footsteps approach him. Riku doesn't pay attention to him though… he just stares as the fading smoke like remains. 'Why didn't it fall from my strike?' he thinks feeling the energy coming from his new weapon as it dissipates. 'The Keyblade is a legendary weapon its power unmatched by any other… that's what they all said. It should have taken less of my strength to beat that heartless with it than my weapon?' He reflects on the battle barely noting his two "companions" before him.

"Riku…" The duck begins drawing his attention to the two. Without them he could have just met his end. Was he getting weaker… like Sora, just because of their presence? 'No, I'm stronger than Sora… I'm the master of the Keyblade.' He thinks as he notices the dog's hand. 'I don't need help, I'm stronger than Sora is.' He thinks as he jets up containing a wince from the pain that shot through his left arm.

"Come on I don't have time to waste." Riku mutters seeing the duck eye his arm… anger flows through him at the thought of appearing weak too these two lackeys. He continues towards his goal ignoring the two as a light green beam of energy consumes him. The pain dulls and he resists the urge to turn around and glare at the duck.

'I will open the secret door and save Kairi.' He thinks as he continues forward into the dark corridor leading to the chamber the princesses' sleep. The two idiotic lackeys follow behind him… just like they had the delivery boy before.

"I am the master of the Keyblade…" he whispers remembering the differences between the legendary weapon and his preferred. 'I'm not just another delivery boy.'

* * *

><p>'Why'<p>

The word echoed throughout the spiky haired boy's thoughts as he just stared at the ground beneath him. The word was one of the words he seemed to be using the most since he gained the Keyblade. Now that he had lost the legendary weapon… well the word seemed to be the single entity in each of his thoughts.

Why did the keyblade abandon him now? It didn't make sense to him… if he was only a delivery boy as Riku had said, then wouldn't the blade have transferred over to him when they first came across each other in Tranverse Town or just three days ago when they literally stood before each other.

Why did Riku toss their friendship aside? This wasn't the first time they had an argument or disagreement. Not even of this magnitude to his knowledge; but never once in all the years they had known each other had either one of them returned their swords to the other, unless they broke… the one Riku made him had a tendency to do that actually. It was currently in the safety of the gummi-ship actually. He had used it to practice against Goofy a few times.

Why were only the three of them able to make it out of the darkness that consumed their world? They were only three kids. They weren't anything special right… well maybe Riku was but without the keyblade awakening in his hand he wouldn't have made it out… and Kairi well he had no idea what was going on with her.

Why did the Keyblade even awaken in his hand anyway? He wasn't anything special… he was just a freshman to be. He didn't have any special powers, he wasn't royalty or a gifted student… hell if Kairi hadn't helped him in literature he probably would have failed the class. It didn't make sense… three months ago he knew next to nothing about the skills he until just a while ago relied on.

It was all useless now. Everything he experienced, everything he learned, everything he did no longer mattered. He was worthless without the keyblade… he couldn't do anything to help… he couldn't help Riku… he couldn't fight the heartless… he couldn't- save her.

Tears began to stream down his cheeks as everything just came crashing down. "Damn it…" he whispers punching the ground with his right hand. Pain is his instant reward.

"Why did the keyblade save me?" He roars out in pain. "Why didn't it save someone else, anyone else?" He pauses as faces flash through his memories… people stronger, wiser, or just worth more than him.

"Why couldn't it have saved her?" He whispers as the memories of all of his and Kairi's fun times together flash through his mind.

"Thud"

Sora's focus is instantly drawn to the sound. The initial glance reveals the source, a small red booklet like pouch he had kept with him since he had left the island. They had all gotten one at the fair a couple of weeks before everything started. It had been designed to hold business or credit cards but they had found it capable of housing wallet sized photos. It had been Riku's idea to buy them and Kairi had suggested placing photo's in them of people they might miss once they set sail.

It had been nice to have it during his journey and although it hadn't given him any leads the photos of his friends had helped give people some idea who he was looking for.

Everyone but him, Kairi, and Riku were gone now. Kairi was… well he had no idea how to describe it but defenseless. Riku, though was the hero who would save them all while he laid here crying like a baby; all because he no longer had help from the keyblade.

Is that how he would let it end? Would his journey to find his friends, to help bring back those lost to the darkness, end here?

"No…" Sora whispers as he remembers all the people he met on his journey… all the people lost unable to do anything. He pushes himself up feeling the throbbing pain in his leg. He searches within himself to find the energy Donald taught him to use for his magic. He smirked.

It was still there… sure it seemed weaker… smaller but, he had magic. "Cure" he whispers holding his right arm over his leg as he draws on his energy. The light green energy envelops his hand reducing the pain where his hand touched. It took more out of him than he was use to but he could still use his spells.

He picked up the pouch placing it in the left breast pocket of his vest. He was here; he would do what he could to save them. He might not have the keyblade but no one else had had it either.

He saw the wooden sword Riku left for him… the remainder of their bond. Riku might have given it up, but he hadn't. He picked up the "sword" and tested it.

It was still sturdy and strong, the grip might be different than he was use to but it would work. He tucked the weapon into his belt and set his sights to his destination.

He didn't need the keyblade… he had something much more important.

He took his first step towards the castle and his unknown future… no matter what he would face it. For a moment he could have sworn he saw her smiling face.

* * *

><p>Ok, yes I know I cover less time than the last post of this chapter. The rest will be in chapter two and I'm working with someone on it. Please give me feedback on what you think. Useful flames are accepted but pointless ones are going to be ignored.<p> 


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